North East & Yorkshire

Refurbishing Doncaster Royal Infirmary

Doncaster Royal Infirmary - Theatre Admissions Unit

Facilities at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI) are being refurbished as part of a scheme to improve patient care.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the DRI, implemented the works, with leading construction company Pacy & Wheatley Construction Ltd as the main contractor. The projects comprise the complete refurbishment of the existing Theatre Admissions Unit (TAU) and the refurbishment of Ward 31.

The former TAU is being completely transformed into a light and thoroughly modern space, which will help to alleviate the anxiety some patients can feel when coming into the hospital for surgery. The TAU has a bright, airy waiting area with comfortable seating and tension reducing pictures of trees and leaves on the walls.

The new unit will open from 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday. On an average day, the TAU will see and admits up to 28 patients for a range of operations that include general surgery, urology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), vascular and ophthalmology (eye) operations under local or general anaesthetic.

The refurbished TAU is part of a bigger building project, which will see the creation of a brand new Day Surgery Unit open at the DRI in the summer. At present, the TAU has four assessment rooms and this is set to increase to six rooms when the new Day Surgery Unit is completed.

The TAU has its own entrance, which leads out into a small courtyard where patients and a friend or relative can sit outside during the warmer months. Meanwhile, the facility also includes separate waiting rooms for male and female patients who have changed out of their clothes in preparation for theatre.

Commenting on the new TAU, Sister Stephanie Mozley, who manages the facility, said:

“The unit is designed to reduce the worry for patients and give them a tranquil environment in which to prepare for their operations.”

Meanwhile, Ward 31 has received an entire refurbishment to create a new wing. The project saw the ward stripped back to its shell and completely remodelled, with a full mechanical and electrical installation taking place.

Work began on Ward 31 in September 2012 and Pacy & Wheatley Construction Ltd reached completion on the project in December 2012.

Established in 1968, Pacy & Wheatley Construction Ltd is a private limited company dedicated to delivering quality products and first class customer service. Pacy & Wheatley offer their clients the best construction processes, based on the project build requirements, and as a customer focused company Pacy & Wheatley Ltd see themselves as partners in a clients’ vision.

Commenting on both projects at DRI, Pacy & Wheatley Construction Ltd Projects Director, Paul Coleman, said:

“We’ve worked with Doncaster Royal Infirmary on a number of projects in the past and it is always important to us to continue this longstanding working relationship. This is a great sector to be involved with and we value our involvement.

“Ward 31 completed to programme and came in under budget, so we were very pleased with how well everything came together.”

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides a wide range of health services for three hospitals – Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop, Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital in Mexborough – in addition to the Chequer Road Clinic and Retford Hospital. The Trust’s staff care for approximately 420,000 people and is one of the first 10 NHS trusts to be awarded foundation trust status back in 2004.

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